Eco-activist Stella goes to China for solar power

FEW strive to protect the planet with the zeal of Stella McCartney, whose fashion label stresses that it does all it can ‘to create the most beautiful, desirable products with the least impact on our environment’.

But have Stella and her husband, fellow designer Alasdhair Willis, missed a trick in their bid to reduce their carbon footprint at their country residence?

The question is prompted by their application for ‘change of use’ for one of their fields at their farmhouse in Worcestershire, from agriculture to eco-power.

Stella, 51, and Alasdhair, 52, have earmarked it as a site for 380 solar panels, to help them ‘continue to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels’. It’s a process which the couple have already begun by installing ‘ air source heat pumps’.

These, in tandem with the solar panels, underpin the ‘transition to a low- carbon future and mitigating the impact of climate change’.

The application reveals they’ve opted for panels made by Chinese firm Trina Solar, a decision some may find puzzling. The company’s founder and chairman is Gao Jifan, who amassed a £6 billion fortune while snuggling up to his country’s totalitarian regime.

Perhaps Stella and Alasdhair — who also own a £10 million townhouse in West London — were unaware that Britain’s leading manufacturer of solar panels, GB-Sol, is based less than 90 miles from their farmhouse.

Located just north of Cardiff, GBSol minimises its carbon footprint and packaging, uses suppliers who are ‘as local as possible’, and has been rated top solar supplier by Ethical Consumer magazine ‘for many years’.

Isn’t that a stellar effort, Stella?